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A woman arrested Sunday after a 5-year-old child was found inside a hot car told Jacksonville police her watch wasn’t working and she didn’t realize how long she had been gone.

Vivian Guo, 49, was charged after someone in the Costco parking lot at 4901 Gate Parkway saw sweat streaming down the girl’s face about 1:45 p.m. and removed the youngster. The windows in the Toyota Prius were barely cracked for air flow, according to police.

Police were called after an unsuccessful search for the child’s mother in the store. The vehicle was in a shaded spot but not visible from the building.

Guo didn’t return to the car until 2:30 p.m. Police were told the child did not want to go into the store and that Guo believed it was OK to leave the child in the car. The temperature in the area at that time Sunday was about 87 degrees, according to the National Weather Service at Jacksonville International Airport.

On a handmade greeting-style card addressed to Guo and seen by police, the child wrote that she had gotten hot in the car.

The state Department of Children and Families was contacted and responded to the scene.

Guo, whose relationship to the child was blacked out on her arrest report, was being held without bail Monday.

Do people ever look at the news or read the paper.....you can't do this to small children......stop it.......awesome job to the person who saw the little girl......this person went into the store to try and find the women.........

"As long as there are questions to be asked and answers to be made, I'll be there"

2872 points

The Enquirer

Monday, July 7, 2014 @ 11:15 am

Thanks to the person with heads up to take notice of the child and take action. We need to keep our eyes open to this sort of abuse, because there is just so many stupid people amongst us. I can't believe that people are still this stupid to leave kids in these ovens to die. This lady to live to 49 is a miracle in itself. Most stupid people don't make it past 30. Also I'm glad the police are finally starting to prosecute these idiots instead of believing their BS stories.